Finger Jars

$15 - $20 (based on 2019 prices)

Makes three jars

 

To begin 2019’s building season, I decided to kickstart the creative juices by crafting two props that I had intended to make for 2018’s witch den (which was part of my office’s annual decorating competition) but ran out of time. In the first version, I fabricated an old marinara jar into an insect-filled container to serve as ingredients for a witch’s brew. In the second, I repurposed three salsa jars and leftover cockroaches from 2016’s farm theme to add a few severed fingers to the witch’s pantry.

• Three sixteen-ounce glass jars
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat brown*
• One bag of plastic cockroaches (roughly two dozen bugs per bag)
• One 0.14 oz. bottle of superglue gel
• Two corpse fingers (learn how to make them here)
• Two decomposing fingers (learn how to make them here)
• Two severed fingers (learn how to make them here)
• One 18” x 18” square of white fabric
• Four tablespoons of black tea (e.g. Darjeeling, Earl Gary, English Breakfast)
• One pan large enough to soak the fabric
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*
• One yard of brown twine

1. Thoroughly wash and dry the jars. If there is any sticker residue, use rubbing alcohol to remove it (soak a paper towel in the solution, let it sit over the area for a few minutes, and wipe away the remaining glue). After cleaning the jars, roughen their surfaces with coarse sandpaper to help the paint adhere.

2. Give the jars a grimy appearance by watering down brown paint and brushing it over their exteriors (you can also use a spray bottle for the application). Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes and then wipe it clean. You may want to experiment with the consistency prior to doing this: the more water you add, the fainter/lighter the wash; the less water you add, the deeper/darker the wash. Continue the process until you reach the level of distress you desire.

3. Complete the aged patina by applying a flecking of black paint. You can do this by either quickly flicking a paintbrush or using an old toothbrush and strumming your finger across the bristles. Since this process flings paint everywhere, it’s best to perform it outside. If you plan to display the props outdoors for an extended period of time, consider applying a sealer to prevent the weather from damaging the paint.

4. Glue cockroaches to the jars’ bottoms and sides. As you do so, try not to over think your application, since a random pattern produces the best results. NOTE: The particular cockroaches I used were made with a slick plastic which did not adhere to hot glue. As a result, I used superglue gel to affix them to the glass.

5. Evenly divide the fingers and place them inside the jars, positioning them so they are as visible as possible. You can also glue cockroaches to their surfaces for extra creepiness. Although I paired them together (two corpse fingers in one jar, two decomposing fingers in another, and two severed fingers in the last), you can mix them up for more visual interest.

6. Boil enough water to completely submerge the fabric and pour it into the pan. Add the tea. The longer you allow the tea to brew, the darker the stain will become. Likewise, greater amounts of tea will produce a richer stain. Submerge the cloth in the tea mixture and soak it until it reaches the color you desire. I soaked mine for four days and scattered the tea leaves over the top of the fabric to add spots. Remove the cloth from the water and allow it to dry. Once it has dried, cut the fabric into three 6” x 6” squares, center them on the openings of the jars, and glue them in place.

7. Cut the twine into three twelve-inch sections, wrap the mouths of the jars with it, and knot the ends. Also, shred the edges of the cloth to create a messy and uneven appearance.

8. To make the fabric look even dirtier, water down brown paint and brush it over the cloth. Akin to step two, you might want to play with the mixture before applying it to the props.

9. Using a sharp pair of scissors, rip holes in the tops of the cloth and glue cockroaches to the openings and along the exterior of the jars to make it appear they are swarming the containers.

10. The props can be enhanced further with additional details to cater them to your haunt’s needs, such as tea-stained labels or strands of voodoo beads.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.